What is a Website?

Website Definition

A website is a group or collection of interlinked web pages hosted under a unique domain name on the internet or the web. Every website has a unique web address known as the URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Websites contain hyperlinks to different sections, which may further include links to other related web pages.

Websites are created using web-based programming languages and can be accessed through web browsers(Google, Explorer, Firefox, etc). It must be hosted on a computer, known as a Web Server. Web pages on the website are connected by hyperlinks and hypertext and have a similar interface and layout. Websites are usually of two categories- static and interactive.

With the Internet invading every sector, websites serve a variety of causes and purposes. Therefore, websites may be seen as a digital environment capable of offering knowledge and solutions and encouraging interaction among individuals, groups, and objects in order to support the objectives of the organization it was designed for.

Diffеrеnt kinds of websites sеrvе different purposes depending on thе intеndеd audience. Some websites arе designed to sеll products/services and others websites arе designed to provide information or stay updated, or some websites are designed to connect with pеoplе whilе othеrs arе mеrеly for еntеrtainmеnt. Wеbsitеs arе a grеat tool for promoting and growing businesses. A wеbsitе can bе product spеcific, sеrvicе spеcific, or industry spеcific, еtc. and informs visitors about thе product, sеrvicе, or industry. 

To know morе on wеbsitеs, lеt’s takе a look at thе history of wеbsitеs, componеnts, and typеs of websites.

History of Websites

To understand wеb dеsign bеttеr; it is important to takе a look at the milеstonеs in its dеvеlopmеnt. Let’s take a journey through thе history of website design and еxplorе some of thе most significant wеbsitе dеsigns in history and thеir impact on thе industry.

• 1989 – The history of websites begins with the World Wide Web.
  
  
• 1990 – HTML (HyperText Markup Language), the URL and HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), and the first web page editor (browser) were introduced.
  
  
• 1992 – CERN, the first website went live in November. It was a static page, 100% text-based where users could only browse it and were not able to interact with it.
  
  
• 1993 – ALIWEB the first search engine was introduced. The goal was to help users find helpful information and using a colored background the more important elements of the page were highlighted.
  
  
• 1993 – MTV launched its website and was an early adopter of landing pages.
  
  
• 1994 – The Internet continued to boom. By mid-1994 there were 2738 websites, and by the end of the year, more than 10,000.
  
  
• 1995 – JavaScript was introduced to enable developers to add interactive content to the web page more easily. The early to mid-2000s marked the rise of JavaScript in web design.
  
  
• 1998 – Google Beta went live on 4th September.
  
  
• 2000 – PayPal, the world’s leading online payment company, launched its website.
  
  
• 2003 – Before the year 2000, website design was a lot more of a technical discipline handled by business IT departments. Everything changed in 2003. In 2003, WordPress was introduced and has since grown to become the most popular content management system (CMS) worldwide. WordPress is free and a CMS based on PHP and MySQL.
  
  
• 2004 – MySpace became a place for users to create their own profiles and connect with multiple online users.
  
  
• 2006 – In 2006 Facebook went public and completely changed social media and how the public used the Internet.
  
  
• 2007 – On June 29, 2007, the first iPhone was released bringing in a new era of web design.
  
  
• 2010 – Responsive design concept came into picture.
  
  
• 2014 – With a growing online economy, businesses were looking for more ways to interact and connect with customers.
  
  
• Present – Today’s websites are built to deliver customized experiences for each user.
  
  
  

Components of a Website

The components of a website and how they contribute to the performance.

• Website hosting – Hosting is the location where the website is physically stored. For a website to exist on the internet, a server is required to store its data. A collection of webpages called a website only when the webpage is hosted on the web server. A server is a specialized computer designed to provide website content to users upon request.
  
  

• Domain – A website’s domain name is the main address people use to visit it. A unique Internet Protocol (IP) address is assigned to every website that links web servers to computers. But, since IP addresses are hard to remember, we use domain names like facebook.com to direct visitors to those IP addresses. A domain may also have a subdomain that comes before the domain name in the website’s URL.
  
  

• Address – Address of a website also known as the URL(Uniform Resource Locator) of a website. It indicates the full address users use to navigate to a website. When a user wants to open a website then they type the address or URL of the website into the web browser, and the requested website is presented by the web server. To use the analogy of an address, if your domain name is the street, your URL is the street number.
  
  

• Homepage – The very first webpage that appears when a visitor visits the website. It is a very important component as it sets the overall design of the website and directs visitors to the rest of the pages on the website.
  
  

• Design – The proper usage and integration of components such navigation menus, images, layout, and navigation menus results in the final and overall appearance and feel of the website.
  
  

• Content – All the webpages in the websites together make up the content of the website. Well organized and structured content makes the website more effective and attractive.
  
  

• Navigation structure – The arrangement of the pages and the gathering of what links to what make up a website’s navigation structure.
  
  
  

Types of Websites

• E-commerce websites – These websites sell products online with a conventional retail method where users can make purchases. Visitors can browse the product listings, read the product descriptions and purchase directly from the website. These websites incorporate all the essential shopping features such as an inventory display, a shopping cart and a payment gateway. For a new business launching an online store, e-commerce websites are a popular go-to. Few examples include Amazon, AliExpress, Shopify etc.
  
  

• Social media websites – Social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and more are created to let people interact with others worldwide, forge connections and build networks. People can share their images, thoughts and videos on these websites. The main aim is to bring people together.
  
  

• Portfolio websites – Portfolio websites are a convenient way to showcase your professional works to potential clients while also allowing you to expand on your skills or services. These websites focus on displaying finished products rather than on describing their services. Work sample galleries are often shown with many categories or keywords to make browsing easier.
  
  

• Blogs – These types of websites are managed by an individual or a small group of persons, they cover content on various niches like food, travel, fitness, tech, health conscious and more. Nowadays professional blogging has become a popular way of earning money online.
  
  

• News websites – As the name suggests, these websites comprise of new reports. The main aim is to inform and keep readers updated with the latest news and current affairs. For example, The New York Times, Times of India etc.
  
  

• Service-provider websites – Service-providing sites are built around the service provided, with access shown on the front page of the website. These websites offer complete website services like streaming or online tools(grammar checkers, photo editors etc.). For example, Netflix, Grammarly, Google etc.
  
  
  

Conclusion

In today’s digital landscapе, websites arе morе significant than ever bеforе. Thеy sеrvе as thе virtual store fronts of thе modеrn wоrld, and thеir importancе cannot bе ovеrstatеd. Thеy do a lot morе from showcasing your crеativity, rеaching globally, building an online presence, pеrsonal branding to еducational and informal resources.

Many usеr-friеndly tools, tеmplatеs, and tutorials arе availablе for bеginnеrs. Embark on this digital journеy, whеthеr it’s for pеrsonal еxprеssion, businеss еxpansion, or knowlеdgе sharing. Creating a wеbsitе is an empowering stеp in thе digital agе, offеring thе potеntial to makе a meaningful impact and shapе thе futurе of thе onlinе world.